Bayern Munich beat 1. FC Magdeburg 6-1 in the second round of the DFB Cup on Wednesday. GOAL reported that Min-Jae Kim is increasingly moving ahead of Jonathan Tah in the battle for a place in Bayern Munich's team.
How the match unfolded
Michael Olise scored Bayern Munich's early opener against 1. FC Magdeburg. Mateusz Zukowski equalised for Magdeburg in the 15th minute.
The centre-back picture
GOAL reported that Kim increasingly appears to be overtaking Tah as the regular starter alongside Dayot Upamecano. GOAL also reported that Vincent Kompany has rotated his central defenders considerably more at the start of this season than he did last season.
Tah was taken off at half-time in the 3-3 draw against Viking Stavanger in the Champions League. Kim started alongside Upamecano against RB Leipzig and Arsenal, but came off at half-time against Arsenal with groin problems and has been absent since. Kim was back on the bench against Magdeburg.
What could come next
GOAL reported that Kim is likely to return to the starting line-up for Saturday's match against Borussia Dortmund.
What Kompany and Tah said
During the tour of Asia, head coach Vincent Kompany denied there was a clear pecking order in central defence for the new season: "Let's not put everything in such absolute terms."
Asked about the new situation in central defence after the Magdeburg match, Tah said the coaching staff had "communicated nothing different" from last season. On whether he had been surprised to find himself on the bench recently, Tah said: "The coach decides who starts. Far more important is how I deal with it and that I'm ready."